Short Answer

Midwives are legally entitled to provide home-based postpartum care that is fully funded by public health insurance.

You must secure a contract with a midwife during your first trimester due to a chronic national shortage of practitioners.

What Most Expats Don't Realize

You waited until your seventh month to look for a midwife because you thought the hospital would assign one to you. You contacted thirty different professionals and were rejected by every single one because their schedules were full months in advance. You lost the vital home support needed for breastfeeding and newborn health checks, forcing you to pay €150 for private consultations that should have been covered.

What To Do

  • Open hebammensuche.de or ammim.de the same day you receive a positive pregnancy test.
  • Email at least ten midwives in your postal code area immediately to check their availability for your due date.
  • "Haben Sie Kapazitäten für die Wochenbettbetreuung?" (Do you have capacity for postpartum care?) — Include your due date and address in the first message.

The Truth

The system guarantees the right to a midwife, but it does not guarantee the supply. Finding a "Hebamme" in a major German city is statistically more difficult than finding a long-term apartment.